


A Summer's Kiss

by Milpool (LiesLoveAndLullabies)



Category: Wet Hot American Summer (2001), Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-15 09:55:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4602363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiesLoveAndLullabies/pseuds/Milpool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben has some difficulty working up the courage to kiss McKinley after their zoot suit number.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Summer's Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Consider this both a preemptive warning and apology for the fact that I haven't written fiction more than sporadically over the past five years and am therefore very rusty. Hopefully I've managed to sufficiently lower your expectations prior to reading this work.

After an afternoon of lingering touches and significant looks, this was the moment. 

Ben was going to kiss McKinley.

They'd just performed their zoot suit number and it had been a rousing success, if the continued cheering was anything to go by. McKinley was grinning at him, his expression a mixture of warmth and delight, and Ben couldn't help but grin back. McKinley was beautiful and exceptionally talented and Ben realized that he was maybe a little in love with him.

So, Ben was going to kiss him.

All he had to do was lean a little closer and he'd be able to press his lips against McKinley's. 

Only, he found himself hesitating.

McKinley was still smiling at him, but there was a flicker of confusion in his eyes as Ben continued to stare at him intensely. If he didn't do it now, Ben realized, he was going to lose his nerve. So he breathed in deeply and started to move in. McKinley's gaze had drifted down to his lips and Ben's heart began to race, thrilled by the idea that the other boy wanted the same thing. Ben was just a hair's breadth away when it happened.

Susie broke the spell with a yell of "INTERMISSION!"

McKinley pulled back, looking behind him for the source of the interruption. "We should probably change out of this costume."

Ben was crushed. He'd waited just a moment too long and now his one opportunity to kiss McKinley was gone. "Yeah."

He let McKinley guide him offstage and tried not to think about the way his arm was still wrapped firmly around his waist.

 

* * *

 

They changed back into their spandex leotards in silence. Ben sensed an undercurrent of tension between them and tried to leave as quickly as possible. He stalked off further backstage with an excuse of needing to speak to Susie being the only words he managed to exchange. 

He spotted Susie in a corner, readjusting a set piece against the wall. He plastered a smile across his face before he complimented the show. 

"There's something I need to tell you."

Ben was confused yet also a little cautious. Susie hadn't seen him try to kiss McKinley, had she?  _No_ , he reasoned,  _if she'd seen that, she wouldn't have been so polite._

"I cheated on you," she blurted the words out and Ben frowned.

"With whom?"

Susie looked away guiltily. "Claude Dumet."

Ben almost laughed with relief. He'd been so overwhelmed by his crush on McKinley all afternoon that it hadn't even occurred to him that he was already involved with someone. A girl someone, for that matter.

Susie narrowed her gaze, "What are you smiling about? Aren't you mad?"

Ben shook his head and felt his laughter bubble over. He pulled her in for a hug. "Oh Susie, of course I'm not mad."

She pulled herself out of his embrace, "You did hear what I said, right? I hooked up with Claude Dumet." She looked around the room and lowered her voice to a sharp whisper. "I let him  _deflower_ me." _  
_

Ben realized that the only way to assuage Susie's guilt was to tell her the truth. He sighed. "I'm gay."

"What?!" Susie's screech caused the entire cast and crew to turn in their direction, including - much to Ben's embarrassment - McKinley. 

Ben felt himself blush under the probing stares of his fellow counselors. He took Susie's elbow and led her to a more private location. As soon as they were alone, Susie snatched her arm from his grasp and rounded on him. 

"How long have you known?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't know for sure until today," he rubbed the back of neck nervously and mumbled into his chest, "when I put on the zoot suit."

"McKinley?!" she hissed.

Ben tried to shush her with minimal success. The last thing he needed was the rest of the counselors finding out about his crush. 

"I thought he was straight."

"Yeah, well, he's not." It came out sounding a little more defensive than Ben had intended. 

"Did you kiss him?" Susie's tone was measured and nonchalant but Ben could sense the hurt underneath. 

He knew it was best to be honest. "No, but I wanted to. All day. I tried to ignore it but-," he sighed, "I don't think the feeling's going to go away."

He could've sworn he saw a tear roll down her cheek just before she turned away. Ben felt guilty for leading Susie on for so long. She'd been a good friend to him over the past few summers and while she could sometimes be demanding and bossy, she had a good heart. 

"I'm really sorry, Susie. I really care about you and I don't want to lie to you anymore."

Susie looked up at him with watery eyes and a small smile. "It's not your fault."

"We can still be friends, right?"

Susie laughed, though it came out sounding sad. "Of course!"

Ben pulled her into an embrace, thanking her profusely. Susie hugged him back and informed him that he needed to be in position for the second act. He breathed in a sigh of relief when he realized they were going to be alright.

 

Ben made it to his place beside McKinley less than a minute before the curtains were coming up. He shook his hands out in front of him. 

"You okay?"

He looked over to see McKinley's expression of concern and his heart raced a little. "Yeah, Susie and I broke up."

Before McKinley had a chance to reply however, the lights were up and the show was ready to begin.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the show went off without a hitch, including Andy and Katie's big leap. He'd been so nervous just watching Katie take her run-up that he'd grabbed McKinley's hand in panic. It wasn't until afterward, when Andy and Katie moved in for their big kiss, that he realized what he'd done. He gazed surreptitiously at McKinley to gauge his reaction but found the other boy's attention transfixed on the stage.

He was delighted, however, when McKinley began to subconsciously run his thumb over the back of his hand. 

They all crowded onto the stage for their bow, everyone exhausted and sweaty but very ecstatic. Somewhere in the chaos Ben had managed to lose track of McKinley and found himself face-to-face with Susie instead. 

"Congratulations!" They shouted in unison. They embraced as the others jostled them around in their excitement to change out of their costumes and be reunited with their friends in the audience. 

Susie cleared her throat. "Did you want to go to the staff party together? Just as friends," she clarified after seeing Ben's hesitant expression. 

"Yeah, I mean, I'm DJing but that sounds great."

Susie grinned and planted a kiss upon his cheek before rushing off to catch up with members of the ensemble. 

 

* * *

 

Ben had just changed out of his costume when McKinley approached him. 

"Zoot suit killed."

Ben grinned at him as he pulled his left shoe on. 

"Listen, um, do you wanna go to the staff party together?"

Ben looked up in surprise at McKinley's invitation. Earlier he'd been planning to attend the party alone and now here he was with two interested parties. Is this what guys like Victor Pulak felt like?

"The staff party? I'll already be there, I'm DJing the staff party," he reached back to grab his disguise, "I'm DJ Ski Mask."

A look of understanding crossed McKinley's face. " _You're_ DJ Ski Mask."

Ben nodded. Although he'd already agreed to go with Susie, he didn't want to rejet McKinley's offer either. "I already promised Susie I'd go with her."

McKinley's face flashed with disappointment.

Ben quickly amended his response. "You could come with us, though. I'm sure Susie wouldn't mind, we're only going as friends."

McKinley hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing to Ben's invitation. Ben gallantly offered to walk over to the party with him, but McKinley declined. He needed to check up on that kid Arty in the broadcast shack first, he explained.

"I'll see you there though!"

 

* * *

 

The party was in full swing when Ben decided to take a short break from his DJ duties. Although it'd been somewhat difficult keeping on top of incoming song requests while dividing his time equally between his two guests, he felt like he'd done a fairly good job. At least, he'd thought he had until he happened upon them arguing in a corner. Up until that point he hadn't really seen them interact all evening and he was beginning to suspect this was why. 

"I'm sorry about you and Ben," McKinley started, in lieu of a greeting. 

Susie snorted derisively. Even from a distance, Ben could could tell that she'd been drinking. She looked at McKinley and rolled her eyes. 

"Please, I've seen you making eyes at him all night," she pointed an accusatory finger at him and sloshed her drink on the floor, "you're thrilled that we broke up."

Ben hated confrontation, particularly when it meant confronting Susie, but he also knew how bad things could get if he didn't intervene. 

"Hey, guys!" Ben cringed at how loud and and upbeat his voice sounded. They both turned to look at him and he grimaced. "What are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, Susie gulped down the rest of her drink and began to sway. She grabbed a hold of Ben's shoulder. He turned to ask her if she was alright, only to have Susie vomit down the front of his jacket.

A collective groan of disgust echoed throughout the round house and the music had seemingly been cut. Ben stood stock still, unable to properly register what had just happened. A girl - Debbie maybe? - approached Susie and started pulling her towards the door. She shot Ben a sympathetic look on her way out.

With Susie gone, the party slowly started to pick back up again and Ben finally turned to face McKinley. 

He smiled apologetically, "You wanna get out of here?"

"What about the music? I'm supposed to be DJing."

"I think someone's got you covered." McKinley motioned to the booth where Gary had put on his mask and was currently mixing tracks. Without any further argument, Ben followed McKinley out of the building. 

 

* * *

 

"Are you sure we're supposed to be in here? I thought these were locked at night."

McKinley assured him it was fine, that the restriction was only for campers, though Ben still wasn't entirely convinced.

McKinley jiggled the door knob on the building and let them both inside. They were in the boy's shower room - a room Ben had always dreaded back when he was a camper here. Not because he wasn't hygienic, but because he'd hated the idea of the other boys seeing him without most of his clothes on. He'd always tried to disguise how lanky and awkward he felt by hiding behind layers of clothing and it was pretty hard to do that when you had to take a shower.

He turned to McKinley. "You want me to take a shower?"

"Do you want to keep smelling like vomit?"

Ben cringed but McKinley made a good point. He made a move to turn the taps on until McKinley stopped him. "Don't you want to take your jacket off first? Otherwise it might spread."

McKinley's question made Ben blush. He turned away from McKinley to peel off the soiled garment. He could feel his polo shirt riding up across his back as he pulled off the jacket and tried not to blush even harder. McKinley had seen him half-naked before, sure, but that was before Ben had realized that he was maybe in love with him.

With his jacket over his head, he once again turned back to the taps. 

McKinley interrupted again. "You're gonna shower with your clothes on? What are you supposed to wear back to your cabin?"

Ben couldn't hide the deep scarlet blush that had enveloped his cheeks.

McKinley smiled, seeming to understand Ben's dilemma. "I'm going to going wash this," he held up the offending garment with displeasure, "in the sink and I promise I won't turn around until you tell me it's alright."

Ben figured those terms were fair and agreed. Knowing McKinley was still in the room, however, didn't make it any easier to strip out of his clothes. 

 

* * *

 

All dried and clean following his shower, McKinley offered to walk Ben back to his bunk. 

The air outside was crisp and sweet, and Ben breathed in deeply. He loved the way Camp Firewood always smelled the same, no matter how many years had passed since his first visit. He'd come to associate the smell with home.

As they walked, McKinley's hand brushed against his sporadically. Ben thought about reaching out to hold it, but just the idea made his palms clammy so he decided against it. 

Before he knew it, they were standing outside his cabin. 

"I had a really great time today."

McKinley grinned. "Me too." 

He took a step closer to Ben. "I'm really glad I got to perform in the zoot suit with you." 

Something about the way he said it made Ben's heart race. 

"You know, I really like you, Ben."

McKinley was impossibly close with his dark eyes and full lips and warm smile. Before he could overthink it a second time, Ben propelled himself forward and pressed his lips to McKinley's. It only lasted a few seconds before McKinley was pulling away. Ben felt humiliated - had he misread the situation?

"Oh, thank  _God_ , I've been waiting for you to do that all day." _  
_

Ben frowned. "Wait, wha-" his confusion was effectively cut off by McKinley's lips against his. McKinley's very talented, very kissable lips that Ben reluctantly pulled away from. 

"Why didn't you just kiss me yourself? If you wanted to so badly."

"Because you hadn't even realized you were gay until I told you."

McKinley placed a hand on the back of his neck. "I'm going to need you to stop talking now, though, because I'm trying to make out with you."

Ben certainly didn't need to be told twice.

**Author's Note:**

> If you notice any errors - spelling, colloquial, grammatical or otherwise - let me know! I only gave this a cursory scan before posting and I'm Australian so there may be occasions where I've added an unnecessary 'u' or used an 's' rather than 'z'. 
> 
> Also let me know what you thought of it, I guess? Even if you just leave feedback telling me you hated it and I should abandon fiction writing forever.


End file.
